Jackets on the rise

Just a quick hit tonight but I thought this was pretty cool from NHL.com which lists the top 10 teams on the rise:

4. Columbus Blue Jackets -- Rick Nash is on board with a new eight-year contract extension and all indications are they have long-term stability in net with Steve Mason. Derick Brassard, Jakub Voracek, Nikita Filatov and Kris Russell make up the young core, and Nash, Kristian Huselius, R.J. Umberger, Fedor Tyutin, Rostislav Klesla and Mike Commodore provide veteran leadership. The addition of Sami Pahlsson boosts the Jackets' playoff experience.

Damn right!

Unfortuantely Chicago is #1 on their list with St. Louis at #3.

Nash weighs in on NHLPA's desire for NHLers to skip Olympic on-ice orientation camp sessions due to lack of insurance coverage:

On Friday, the NHLPA sent a letter to players and copied Hockey Canada and other national hockey federations outlining its concerns that players could be at risk due to lack of insurance. The NHLPA doesn't believe the federations are providing enough insurance to cover players' current contracts and potential future earning power in the event of an injury as NHL teams are not responsible for insuring their players at Olympic events.

"I think we need the ice, I think we need to practice," said Columbus Blue Jackets forward Rick Nash, an Olympian in 2006.

Joe Thorton also weighed with the following:

"I've skated for years and have never been hurt, so I'll be skating," said Thornton, who played for Canada at the 2006 Olympics.

-LTL